The March Violets Announce European Festival Dates

The March Violets, legendary pioneers of Darkest Post Punk Rock, who kick-started the Goth movement in Leeds alongside The Sisters Of Mercy, have confirmed some rare appearances…

The March Violets were an extraordinary band. An unlikely and unique group that probably shouldn’t exist. “A really great band. They were label-mates with The Sisters of Mercy, yet darker and infinitely more messed up than them.” There is a twisted sense of humour shining through the songs that they themselves described as Simplistic Pop Anthems for the Blank Generation.

They made their first live appearance in Leeds in 1981, full of post-punk energy and savage poetry, and put out 2 records on Merciful Release before forming their own record label, Rebirth. This particular time and place is regarded by some as the origin of Goth Rock. And looking at the other bands from the area: Danse Society, The Sisters, Southern Death Cult, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, etc., it could be true.

The Violets caused a stir through the early eighties with anthems like ‘Snake Dance‘ and ‘Walk Into The Sun’, which are still regularly featured on darker dance floors. The Violets weren’t just Gothic Doom Rock; they had Soul and a dark jagged energy that threatened to tear itself apart. Inevitably they imploded…

They reappeared for a legendary reunion show in 2007, and then disappeared again, finally resurfacing in 2010 for their first London show in 25 years and began writing their debut album. In 2011 we see some sweaty little ‘back to the punk-roots’ warm-up gigs before headlining festival dates around Europe, and the release of that LP: ‘Made Glorious‘. The demo tracks that have slipped out demonstrate that the Violets have lost none of their original vision. It is quite weird how nothing much has changed. There have been countless versions of the original bands from the 80s, and copies of those copies, but there is nothing quite like going back to the source. With an inbuilt irreverence and a rule-breaking grin, the independent spirit shines through. For those of you who are tired of being told that the latest crap copy of (fill in blank with classic band) is the new sliced bread, this IS the real stuff, it just sounds RIGHT.

photo by: Holly Fairclough

The March Violets will be headlining the Felsenkeller stage at the 20th Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig on Friday 10th June, playing Shadowplay Festival in Waregem on Friday 22nd July, and Headlining DV8 festival in York on Sunday 24th July.

They’ll also going back to their roots with a trio of little guerrilla punk warm-up dates before the festivals.

The band's first lineup featured English guitarist "Mahavishnu" John McLaughlin, Panamanian drummer Billy Cobham, Irish bassist Rick Laird, Czechoslovakian keyboardist Jan Hammer, and American violinist Jerry Goodman. McLaughlin had worked with Cobham and Goodman on his third solo album My Goal's Beyond (1971), and asked Cobham to become […]

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